Sierra Leone

Const/Govt

Edu/Child

Society/Comm

Expression

Predominantly Muslim, with an influential Christian minority, Sierra Leone’s religious practices tend to be syncretic and mixed with traditional belief. The state is secular, and regarded as one of the most religiously tolerant in the world. Muslims and Christians collaborate and interact with each other peacefully. However, there are significant social problems and human rights concerns.

Rating: Mostly SatisfactoryNote: The expression of non-religious and secularist views may be largely untested in this country which has high religiosity, broader human rights concerns, and a population of around 6 million.

Localised or infrequent but recurring and widespread social marginalisation or prejudice against the non-religious

This condition is unusual in that it is applied in cases where there is some social discrimination, but it is not pervasive or nationwide. This condition is applied when there is sufficient background evidence to warrant the assertion that discrimination is not anomalous but widespread, and this condition may be applied for example even where if there is no legislative discrimination or where the non-religious may have legal recourse against such discrimination. However, societal discrimination (i.e. discrimination by peers, as opposed to state or legal discrimination) is not easily measured, and for this reason the Report does not currently have similar more severe boundary conditions to capture higher levels of social discrimination per se. In principle these may be introduced in future. However, we consider that countries with actual higher levels of social discrimination against the non-religious will generally already meet other higher level (more severe) boundary conditions under this thematic strand.

This condition is applied where there are miscellaneous indicators that organs of the state offer various forms of support for a religion, or to religion in general over non-religious worldviews, suggesting a preference for those beliefs, or that the organs of that religion are privileged.

Religious instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety

This condition highlights countries where schools subject children to fundamentalist religious instruction with no real opportunity to question fundamentalist tenets, or where lessons routinely encourage hatred (for example religious or ethnic hatred). The wording “significant number of schools” is not given a rigid quantification (sometimes the worst-offending schools are unregistered, illegal, or otherwise uncounted); however the condition is not applied in cases where only a small number of schools meet the description and may be anomalous, as opposed to being indicative of a widespread problem.

Constitution and government

The constitution and other laws and policies protect freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly and association. These rights are generally respected in practice. The constitution guarantees all citizens the freedom to observe their own religious practices and to change religions without interference from the government or members of other religious groups. There is little or no interreligious violence.

Education and children’s rights

The government requires a standard Religion and Morals Education (RME) curriculum in all state schools through high school, which is comparative and covers Christianity, Islam, and other religions, however private Muslim schools opt for their own curriculum complaining that Islam is underrepresented. The curriculum does not appear to include any broader secular or philosophical content despite the “Morals” terminology. Instruction in a specific religion is permissible only in private schools organized by religious groups.

Following a prolonged period of minimal social interactions as part of Ebola epidemic controls, children returned to schools in early 2015, however “visibly pregnant” girls were to be disallowed to take exams in primary and secondary schools, according to Education Minister Minkailu Bah, making official an unspoken rule that: “if you have sex and get pregnant, you will not be allowed to associate with schoolgirls who are not pregnant.” According to Humanist Watch Salone (HUWASAL) sexual abuse including rape of school-aged girls rose “rapidly” during the Ebola crisis, while others had turned to “transactional sex” in order to support their families, according to UNICEF.
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Family, community and society

Social tensions around religion or belief specifically, appear to be very low to non-existent. However, there are broader human rights concerns around vigilante violence against debtors, suspected thieves, and others.
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Women are severely disadvantaged and discriminated against, especially under tribal norms that operate in most of the country (besides the capital). Women and girls are denied equal access to education, medical care, employment, and credit. A new Sexual Offenses Act only came into force in 2012, and rape and domestic abuse are still commonplace.

Homosexuality between men is illegal.

Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values

Rated “Partly free” by Freedom House, with emergency presidential powers invoke during the Ebola crisis being used to suppress journalists critical of the government. Two journalists who insulted the president in 2013 were charged with 26 counts of “seditious libel”. Government frequently interferes with media freedoms, practising censorship.
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